Ironing board assembly



Aug. 21, 1962 M. BOYD IRONING BOARD ASSEMBLY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 1, 1960 wm.\. IlllFl ll INVENTOR.

Unire States 2 Claims. (Cl. 38-112) This invention relates to ironing boards and more particularly to a portable and collapsible ironing board assembly.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a compact collapsible ironing board assembly which may be folded into a portable enclosure and which includes folda'ble legs folded upon the interior when not in use.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a rigid self-supporting, yet collapsible, and folding ironing board assembly which, when collapsed, provides a convenient carrying case within which an ironingboard attachment or other objetcs may be stored and carried conveniently.

It is a further object of the present invention to form a pair of open boxlike elements hingedly interconnected at their respective ends and openable so as to provide an ironing board surface together with a removable attachment for one end thereof to provide a contoured end element removably connected to one of said foldable members and which when not in use may be stored upon the interior of the portable assembly.

It is further object of the present invention to provide a sleeve attachment for the ironing board body conveniently mounted thereon and which when demounted may be stored upon the interior of the collapsed ironing board assembly.

These and other objects will be seen from the following specification and claims in conjunction with the appended drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the collapsed ironing board assembly as it would be carried.

FIG. 2 is an end .elevational view thereof FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the opened elements with the legs omitted for clarity.

FIG. 4 is a section taken on line 44 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the ironing board when unfolded for use.

FIG. 6 is a plan view thereof.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary section taken on line 7-7 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary view of a slight variation showing the sleeve attachment in mounted position.

It will be understood that the above drawings illustrate merely a preferred embodiment of the invention and that other embodiments are contemplated within the scope of the claims hereafter set forth.

Referring to the drawings, the present ironing board assembly consists of a pair of open substantially symmetrical hollow boxlike elements .1112 hingedly interconnected at 13 and their adjacent meeting edges having projected from the upper edges therefor a pair of registering handle elements 14-15 respectively and with one element 11 mounting the conventional latch 16 and the other element 12 having opposed and cooperating latch element 17 for normally securing the folded elements in the closed position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

Each of the boxlike elements 11 and 12 includes marginal depending and continuous side flanges 18 and 19 respectively defining the storage chambers 20 and 21.

Adjacent the respective corners of the box element 11 are the upwardly extending projections 22 adapted to be cooperatively received corresponding recesses 23 formed for closely associating the closed members 11 and 12 and for maintaining proper alignment as to their corresponding flanges 1819.

3,649,825 Patented Aug. 21, 1962 Box element 11 also has similar corner reinforcements 24 from which the projections 22 extend.

The removable covers 27 are also provided for the respective compartments 20 and 21 within the box elements 11 and 12. For this purpose there are provided the flat covers 27 carrying depending pins 26 in their corners adapted for cooperative projection within corresponding upright apertures 25 formed in the corner reinforcements 24 completing an assembly as shown in FIG. 4.

The corners of the cover 27 are cut across and tapered as at 28 to provide clearance for the respective projections 22 and corresponding projection receiving recesses 23. Accordingly there is provided within the carrying case a pair of storage compartments 20 and 21 suitably covered by the members 27 which are removable, as desired, but which are adapted for the purpose of retaining the articles stored. These covers 27 may be omitted if desired.

Referring particularly to FIGS. 6 and 7 respective box elements 11 and 12 when fully opened in longitudinal alignment and with their corresponding flanges 18 and 19 in registry thus provide a work surface for the ironing board for operation in the conventional manner.

A pair of U-shaped tubular legs 31 are pivotally connected at their upper ends as at 32 to interior portions of the respective outer ends of the box elements 11 and 12 and when in use assume the position shown in FIG. 5. Each of the legs 31 includes the horizontally disposed bight 33 adapted to engage a supporting surface such as a table, for illustration.

A formed end extension 37 is mounted upon the one end of the box element 12, as shown in FIG. 6, being curved at its end, as at 38, in a conventional manner and including an elongated tapered reinforcing web 39 whose upright end wall 40 operatively engages the corresponding end flange 18 for maintaining the extension 37 at its top surface in horizontal alignment with the worksurfaces 30.

Additionally there is provided suitable mounting means which consist of a pair of brackets 34 secured suitably upon the end of the box element 12 and having the upright, apertures 35 therethrough adapted to cooperatively receive the spaced projections 36 which extend from the one end of the ironing board extension member 37, as best illustrated in FIG. 7, to thus provide a convenient means of mounting the said extension member upon the box element 12.

Extension member 37 also has a depending peripheral bead 41 which cooperatively bears upon the exterior of the brackets 34 for properly centering the extension member 37 as illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7.

A sleeve extension member 42 is fragmentarily shown in FIG. 8 adapted to take the place of the conventional extension member 37 when the same has been removed. For this purpose the sleeve extension member 42 has a reduced Width body 43 curved at its outer end 44 to cooperatively receive a sleeve for an ironing operation. Extension member 42 at its end has a pair of depending projections 45 and corresponding to projections 36 of FIG. 7 adapted for securing the assembly down into the apertures 35 in the brackets 34 on the end of the box element 12.

At the same time the reinforcing flange 46 at its upright end 47 operatively engages the corresponding fiange 18 of the box element 12 to complete the assembly and for the main purpose of supporting the sleeve extension 429-43 with its top surface in horizontal registry with the work surfaces 30 of the box elements 11 and 12.

. Thus there is provided a compact foldable ironing board assembly which, when closed with the legs folded therein, is easily port-able employing the handles 14-15 and has the appearance and shape of an ordinary luggage case within which various articles can be stored, including the extension members 37 and 42, and the iron. Additionally the folded assembly may store the ironing pad and cover. The present assembly may also be used as a salesmans traveling case, or a travel case in general, or any other related purposes. a 1 ,7 7

Having described my invention, reference should now be had to the following claims.

Iclaim: V V

-1. A portable collapsible ironing board comprising a pair of elongated longitudinally aligned box elements, each including a continuous marginal flange and a chat top wall, corresponding end flanges being in abutting relation and hingedly interconnected, a U-shaped leg arranged transversely of the outer end of each box element with its free ends pivota ly connected thereto, and normally extending angularly downward and outward with intermediate portions of said leg braced against a box element, apertured brackets on the outer end of one box element, a formed extension mounted in alignment with said top walls, interlocking means depending from one end of said extension in securing registry with said brackets, corner reinforcements within each box element, there'being an inwardly directed aperture within each reinforcement, a removable partition removably positionable within the open end of each box element, and pins adjacent the corners of said partition and projecting therefrom for cooperative registry said corner element recesses to thus define a pair of storage compartments within said box elements.

2. In the ironing board of claim 1, said legs being pivotally collapsible into the interior and adjacent the top Wall of said box elements respectively, said extension being removable on disengagement 'of said interlocking means from said brackets, said box elements being foldable at their hinge connection, with their corresponding flanges in edge to edge relation, latch means securing the box elements in closed position, and a pair of opposed handle elements projecting respectively from said box elements in cooperative engaging registry when said box elements are in folded engaging relation.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

